Randolph is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
,
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, United States. The population was 4,774 at the
2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that surround it.
When the area was originally settled there were three villages—
Randolph Center, East Randolph and West Randolph—the current locations of the three fire departments.
What is now
Randolph, the primary village of the town, had previously been the village of West Randolph.
History
![West Randolph, Vt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/West_Randolph%2C_Vt._%282675175435%29.jpg)
Vermont granted the town on November 2, 1780, when the
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
settlers could not locate the original grantees, whose patents were issued by
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. It was chartered on June 29, 1781 to Aaron Storrs and 70 others, and was originally named "Middlesex".
[Randolph, Vermont, New England, USA](_blank)
Virtualvermont.com (2013-05-25). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
The town was first settled , when
Vermont was an unrecognized state whose government existed in defiance of the government of New York, which claimed Vermont was a part of New York. To encourage recognition of the state by the United States, the town was renamed in honor of
Edmund Randolph
Edmund Jennings Randolph (August 10, 1753 September 12, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, and the 7th Governor of Virginia. As a delegate from Virginia, he attended the Constitutional Convention and helped to create ...
.
With productive soil for
cultivation,
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
became an intensive industry. By 1830, when the population reached 2,743, between twelve and thirteen thousand
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
grazed its
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
s. Randolph was noted for its good
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...
,
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
and
mutton
Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...
.
Two branches of the
White River provided
water power
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...
for
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
s. By 1859, the town had three
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
s, one oil mill, and one
carding
Carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibres between differentially moving su ...
mill. In 1848, the
Vermont Central Railroad
The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec.
It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...
opened service through the town. Randolph's prosperity during the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
endowed it with some fine
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, including the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
Randolph Railroad Depot and
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
Kimball Public Library.
In 1921, Randolph was the setting for, and provided some of the cast of, a
silent movie
''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...
called ''
The Offenders.'' In 1922 the same was true for the film ''
Insinuation
An innuendo is a wikt:hint, hint, wikt:insinuation, insinuation or wikt:intimation, intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called in ...
.''
Today, Randolph is a thriving meeting-spot and shopping center for the surrounding area. The town is home to attractions such as the Porter Music Box Museum and the Chandler Music Hall. Also located in Randolph are the Gifford Medical Center, a hospital; Dubois & King, a civil and structural engineering firm; and Randolph Union High School, which also serves students from the neighboring towns of Braintree and Brookfield. Downtown Randolph hosts the Amtrak station, shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and several gas stations.
Image:Union Block, Randolph, VT.jpg, Union Block in 1912
Image:Kimball Public Library, Randolph, VT.jpg, Kimball Library
Image:Corner Main & Pleasant Sts., Randolph, VT.jpg, North Main Street in 1913
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of 47.9 square miles (124.1 km
2), of which 47.9 square miles (124.0 km
2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km
2) (0.08%) is water. Randolph is drained by the second and third branches of the
White River.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 4,853 people, 1,769 households, and 1,144 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 101.4 people per square mile (39.2/km
2). There were 1,905 housing units at an average density of 39.8 per square mile (15.4/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.77%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.21%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.14%
Native American, 0.60%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.02% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.17% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 1,769 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were couples living together and joined in either
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
or
civil union
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,283, and the median income for a family was $50,756. Males had a median income of $31,353 versus $25,160 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $20,591. About 5.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The main campus of
Vermont Technical College
Vermont Technical College, commonly shortened to Vermont Tech, is a public technical college in Vermont with its main campuses in Randolph Center, Williston and Norwich. In addition, there are regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington, ...
is located in Randolph Center.
Two public schools operated by th
Orange Southwest Supervisory Unionserve Randolph.
*Randolph Elementary School K–6
*Randolph Union Jr. High School, grades 7–12
Transportation
Roads and highways
Randolph is served by five state-maintained routes.
Interstate 89
Interstate 89 (I-89) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States traveling from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canadian border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. As with all odd-numbered ...
passes through Randolph and has one exit near the center of town. Paralleling the Interstate are
Vermont Route 12
Vermont Route 12 (VT 12) is a north-south state highway in Vermont that runs from Weathersfield to Morrisville.
Moose are most often encountered on four roads in Vermont, of which this is one. They are seen from Worcester to Elmore.
Rou ...
, which passes through downtown Randolph and the western half of town, and
Vermont Route 14
Vermont Route 14 (VT 14) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Vermont, United States. It extends from U.S. Route 4 (US 4) and US 5 in White River Junction to VT 100 in Newport. Between White River Junction an ...
, which passes through the eastern half of town. East-west
Vermont Route 66, which is located entirely within Randolph, connects all three of those north-south routes.
Vermont Route 12A
Vermont Route 12 (VT 12) is a north-south state highway in Vermont that runs from Weathersfield to Morrisville.
Moose are most often encountered on four roads in Vermont, of which this is one. They are seen from Worcester to Elmore.
Ro ...
splits from Vermont Route 12 just north of downtown Randolph and heads to the northwest to enter Braintree.
Public transportation
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Randolph, operating its
Vermonter between
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and
St. Albans, Vermont. Stagecoach Transportation Services provides local bus transportation across town,
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
and to and from the
White River Junction
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest co ...
and
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home ...
areas.
Media
Weekly newspaper
''The Herald of Randolph''
Radio
*
WWFY
WWFY (100.9 FM, "Froggy 104.3 & 100.9") is a radio station licensed to serve Berlin, Vermont. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio. It airs a country music format.
The station has been assigned these call letters by the Federal Communi ...
– 100.9 FM (Froggy 100.9 FM – Today's BIG Country)
*
WRFK – 107.1 FM (107.1 Frank FM – Classic Rock)
*
WCVR
WCVR (1320 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a hybrid country music format to Randolph, Vermont, United States. Established in 1968, the station is owned by Robert and John Landry, through licensee Sugar River Media.
History
WCVR was signed ...
– 1320 AM (Real Country 1320 – country)
*
WVXR
WVXR (102.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Randolph, Vermont. The station is owned by Vermont Public (VPR). It is currently a classical music station, serving as the central Vermont outlet for VPR Classical.
History
The station sig ...
– 102.1 FM (VPR Classical)
*
WVTC
WVTC is the radio station of Vermont Technical College, operating on a 90.7 MHz FM carrier (channel 214) with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 300 watts. The station is located in Morey Hall on the Randolph Center campus. WVTC is operate ...
– 90.7 FM (Vermont Tech Radio – various music)
Sites of interest
File:RHS Museum.jpg, Randolph Historical Society Museum
Notable people
*
George W. Barker
George W. Barker (February 22, 1804 - April 7, 1873) was an American businessman and public official in Vermont and Wisconsin. He was notable for his service as United States Marshal for the District of Vermont (1835-1837), Sheriff of Washingto ...
, U.S. Marshal for Vermont, Judge of Maniwitoc County, Wisconsin
*
Jedediah Berry
Jedediah Berry (born 1977) is an American writer. He is the author of a novel, ''The Manual of Detection'' (2009).
Background and education
Berry was born in Randolph, Vermont, and spent his childhood in Catskill, New York. He attended Bard Coll ...
, author
*
Dudley Blodget, Wisconsin politician
*
Calvin H. Blodgett,
mayor of Burlington, Vermont
*
Albert Brown Chandler
Albert Brown Chandler (August 20, 1840 – February 23, 1923) was an American corporate executive. He was notable for his association with Abraham Lincoln during Chandler's service as a War Department telegraph operator during the American C ...
, president of the
Postal Telegraph Company
Postal Telegraph Company (Postal Telegraph & Cable Corporation) was a major operator of telegraph networks in the United States prior to its consolidation with Western Union in 1943.Nonnenmacher, TomasHistory of the U.S. Telegraph Industry/ref> Po ...
*
Dudley Chase
Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire.
Career
After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791, he s ...
,
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
*
Harry H. Cooley,
Secretary of State of Vermont
The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repres ...
*
William H. Dubois,
Vermont State Treasurer
The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing the ...
*
Joseph Edson, U.S. Marshal for Vermont
*
Lebbeus Egerton,
Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...
*
Martin Flint
Martin Flint (January 12, 1782 – February 27, 1855) was a Vermont political and military figure who served in the Vermont House of Representatives and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.
Early life
Martin Flint was born in Hampton, ...
,
Anti-Masonic Party
The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...
leader who served as
Adjutant General
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont Militia
*
Henrik Galeen
Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionist cinema during the silent era.
Early years
Considerable mystery ...
, actor, director
*
William Hebard
William Hebard (November 29, 1800October 20, 1875) was an American attorney and politician from Vermont. He served in several elected offices, and was most notable for representing Vermont in the United States House of Representatives for two te ...
, US congressman
*
Carroll Ketchum, Vermont state legislator
*
Zosia Mamet
Zosia Russell MametAccording to Vermont Births, 1981–2001, and Vermont Birth Records, 1909–2008, at Ancestry.com. (; born February 2, 1988) is an American actress and musician who has appeared in television series including ''Mad Men'', ' ...
, singer, actress
*
Jean Merrill
Jean Merrill (January 27, 1923August 2, 2012) was an American writer of children's books and editor, known best for ''The Pushcart War'', a novel published in 1964. She died from cancer at her home in Randolph, Vermont, in 2012, aged 89.
Early ...
, writer and editor
*
Colonel Jonathan Miller, Freedom fighter, abolitionist and women's rights
[Jonathan P.Miller]
Appletons Encyclopedia, Retrieved 4 August 2015
*
Justin Morgan
Justin Morgan (February 28, 1747 – March 22, 1798) was a U.S. horse breeder and composer.
He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of ...
, horse breeder and composer
*
Sherman R. Moulton, Chief Justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
*
Buster Olney
Robert "Buster" Olney (born ) is an American sports journalist for ESPN, ''ESPN: The Magazine'', and ESPN.com. He previously covered the New York Giants and New York Yankees for ''The New York Times''. He is also a regular analyst for the ES ...
, columnist for
ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...
*
John K. Parish. Wisconsin state legislator and jurist
*
John W. Rowell, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
*
John C. Sherburne, Vermont's first
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
and Chief Justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
*
Milan H. Sessions, politician
*
Ronni Solbert, children’s book illustrator
*
Larry Townsend
Larry Townsend (27 October 1930 – 29 July 2008) was the American author of dozens of books including ''Run, Little Leather Boy'' (1970) and ''The Leatherman's Handbook'' (1972), published by pioneer erotic presses such as Greenleaf Classics a ...
, Vermont legislator
*
Levi Baker Vilas, Vermont and Wisconsin politician
*
Stephen W. Webster, Vermont state legislator who served as
President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senat ...
Vermont Secretary of State
Vermont Legislative Directory, 1989, page 514
* Jessamyn West, librarian
International relations
Randolph is twinned with:
* Myrhorod
Myrhorod ( uk, Ми́ргород, ) is a city in the Poltava Oblast (province) of central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Myrhorod Raion (district), the city itself is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast s ...
See also
* List of towns in Vermont
The U.S. state of Vermont has 237 towns, ten cities, five unincorporated towns and four Gore (surveying), gores. As of 2021, Vermont had 35 incorporated villages, which are municipal governments operating within a town and providing additional se ...
References
External links
Kimball Public Library
''Randolph Herald''
– local newspaper
Randolph Historical Society
– local history museum
{{authority control
Towns in Vermont
Towns in Orange County, Vermont